Fountain pen



R. C. RETTIG FOUNTAIN PEN Filed Anril 17. 1922 mill/I22 Patented M511. 25, 1924.

. um r r mrgmm RUDOLPH C. RETTIG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FOUNTAIN PEN.

Application filed April 17, 1922-.

To all 207mm it may concern:

Be it known that T, RUDOLPH C. RETTIG, a citizen or" the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State or Tllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Fountain Pen; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to fountain pens of the sort which are intended to be refilled by the movement of a handle.

It is an object of this invention to provide a pen of the class described which shall have greater reservoir capacity than pens of this type have had heretofore.

lit-is a further object of this invention to provide a pen of the class described which shall be filled by a movement of a piston travelling substantially the whole length of the barrel of the pen, and which when the parts are in writing position shall have no projecting handle.

It is a further object of this invention to provide pen of the class described with a handle which when not in use lies along one side of the barrel, but which when in use projects lengthwise of the barrel.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means for holding the handle securely in each of the above described positions so that manipulation of the pen is easy and certain.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a packing upon the piston of a sort which is readily renewed and which is quickly and easily adjusted to take up wear.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a spring pressed joint between the handle and the piston which shall hold the handle firmly in each of its two final positions.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the drawings and specification.

The invention (in a preferred form) is shown on the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

Onthe drawings:

Figure 1 is a view of the pen.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal central section of Figure 1.

Serial No. 553,561.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the parts in a different position.

Figure 4 is a sect-ion on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figrnrc 5 is a view partly in section of the piston and the attachment of the handle thereto.

Figure 6 is a bottom view of the parts shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing a modification.

Figure 8 is a section upon the line 88 of Figure 7.

As shown on the drawings:

The pen has a barrel 1 and the usual point 2 protected by a cap 3. The point 2 and the parts associated therewith are of any familiar or suitable structure and need not be further described. They are screwed into the barrel 1 as indicated at 1.

in the barrel 1 slides a piston 5 which carries a stud 6 to receive a nut 7. By means of the threads on the stud 6 and nut 7 a packing 8 may be compressed between the nut and the piston 5 to any desired extent. Preferably, this packing is made of rubber, cork. or other slightly compressible material so that by tightening the nut 7, the packing 8 may be made to expand radially and so may be adjusted to fit tightly the interior of the barrel 1.

The end of the piston 5 opposite the stud 1 is reduced to aiiord a shoulder 9 which 0 s as an abutment for the end of a sleeve 0 which is pinned to the smaller part of the piston as shown at 11. The sleeve 10 is partially closed by an end 12 which is crossed by a slot 13. Struck up fromthis end 12 aretwo ears 14, one on each side of the slot 13. These struck up ears afi'ord semi-cylindrical cavities upon the inner face or" the end 120i the sleeve. These cavities serve to pivotally hold in place pivots 15, one on each side of a strip 16 of metal, so that the strip 1 6 is pivotally connected to the piston by means of the semi-cylindrical cars 14. and the pivots 15.

To hold the pivots within the semi-cylindrical cavities, a plate 17 is provided which slides like a washer within the sleeve 10. This plate is spring pressed toward the end 12 of the sleeve 10 by means of a spiral spring 18 shown in Figure 5, or by means of a tripod 19 shown in Figures 7 and 8, consisting of a central part 20 which presses 110 into its new position.

against the plate 17., and of three legs of spring material 21 which press against the end of the piston. Either with the form illustrated in Figure 5, or with that illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, the pressure of the spring element against the piston forces the plate 17 against the end of the strip 16, thus keeping the pivots 15 in the semi-cylindrical sockets 14.

The strip 16 is made with a bend 22 at a sufficient distance from the pivots 15 to bring the corner of the strip against the edge of the barrel. The ears 1% are at one side of the center of the sleeve 10. The part 23 of the strip 16 which extends beyond the pivots 15 must be short enough not to extend into contact with the sleeve 10 when the strip 16 is rotated from the illustrated position of Figure 5 through 180 degrees into the position illustrated in Figure 3. During such rotation the end 23 of the strip 16 will force the plate 17 against the pressure of the spring element until the strip 16 has rotatedthrough 90 degrees. that the plate 17 actuated by this spring element will assist the rotation of the strip ln either the starting position illustrated by Figure 5 or the final posit-ion illustrated by Figure 3, therefore, the spring element tends to hold the strip 16 in position. The distance from the pivots 15 to the bend 22 must be sutlicient to bring the remainder of the strip 16 outside of the line of the barrel'l, but it must not be so large that when the strip 16 is rotated 180 degrees from the position illustrated in Figure the bend 22 will contact with the wall of barrel where this groove meets that end.

Thofend of the barrel is preferably closed by a thimble 26 to prevent accidental complete withdrawing of the piston through this end of the barrel' The thimble 26 does not completely close the end but there "end of the strip 16 when it is to be raised from the position illustrated in Figure 2,

the surface of the barrel is provided with a transverse groove 30 which comes beneath the enlargement 29. For' convenience in assembling the pen, the enlargement 29 is made by widening the strip 16 without thickening it, so that in one position the enlargement 29 will go through the slot 27.

After The pen is assembledby firstrintroducing the washer 17 into the sleeve 10 and placing. the spring element 18 or 19 ontop of the washer, then securing the sleeve 19 with the parts contained therein to the piston by means of the pin. 11. The strip 16 is placed at an angle to its usual position so that the pivots 15 extend parallel to the slot 13. The end 23 of the strip 16 is then forced against the washer 17 compressing the spring element until the pivots 15 are below the end walls 12. The element 16 is then rotated to bring the pivots 15 underneath the walls 12 and tho rotation is continued. with a sidewise motion of the strip necessary, until the pivots 15 slip into the semi-cylindrical recesses let. The packing 6 is next placed over the stud 6 and the nut 7 screwed onto the stud with suiiicient tightness to enlarge the packing 8 until it fits the interior of the barrel 1 so tightly that leakage either of ink or of air past the piston will not occur. 7

The handle 16 is then turned into the position illustrated in Figure 3 and the washer 17 pressing against the end 23 holds it in this position. The piston with the handle in this position is then introduced through the nozzle end of the barrel in such a posiinent 29 is parallel to the slot 27. The piston is then pushed along the barrel until the strip '16 emerges through the slot. 27, after which the protruding end of the handle 16 is used to draw the piston to the other end of the barrel and to rotate it until the width of the strip 16 is at right angles to the length of the slot 27; If the enlargement 29 is not exactly in line'with the slot 27when the piston is pushed along the barrel. a tool may be introduced through theslot 27 to move the enlargement into a position in which it will pass throughthe slot. The nozzle and point .2 are then screwed in atft and the pen is ready for use.

To fill the pen, the handle 16 is moved from the position illustrated in Figure 2 to that illustrated in Figure 3 and pushed until the piston arrives in the position illustrated in Figure 3. The point 2 is then dipped into the link and the handle 16 pulled until the piston arrives in the posi- ,tion illustrated in Figure 2. This fills the barrel 1 with ink. After thatthe handle 16 is moved about its pivot until it arrives in the posit-ion illustrated in Figure 2. During this motion, the spring element at first resists and then assists in the movement, so that both at the beginning and at the end of the movement, the handle 16 is not easily accidentally displaced. To clean the pen, the handle 16 is moved into the position illustrated in Figure 3 and pushed and pulled alternately so that water or ink'are menses forced repeatedly first in one direction and then in the other through the nozzle and point 2. During this operation, the pressure of the spring element against the washer 17 holds the handle 16 in line with the barrel of the pen so that such manipulation is not likely to displace the handle from this position.

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a fountain pen, a piston, a sleeve secured to said piston, a washer movably mounted in said sleeve, a handle pivoted in said sleeve on the other side of said washer from said piston, and a spring pressing said washer toward said handle.

2. In a fountain pen, a piston, a sleeve secured to said piston, a washer movably mounted in said sleeve, a handle pivoted in said sleeve on the other side of said washer from said piston, and a spring pressing said washer toward said handle, the end of the handle extending beyond the pivot enough to move the washer to strain the spring when the handle is rotated about its pivot, whereby said spring tends to maintain said handle in either of two positions.

3. In a fountain pen, a piston, a sleeve secured to said piston, a washer movably mounted in said sleeve, a handle pivoted in said sleeve on the other side of said washer from said piston, and a spring pressing said washer toward said handle, one end of the handle extending beyond the pivot a. distance less than the radius of said sleeve, a bend in the handle on the other side of the pivot at a distance less than the diameter of the sleeve, and the portion of the handle beyond said bend being greater than the diameter of the fountain pen.

4. In a fountain pen, a barrel, a filling mechanism, including a piston and a handle pivoted thereto, the handle having two parts at approximately right angles with one another, spring mechanism for yielda bly holding the handle with its shorter part at approximately right angles to the axis of the pen, the shorter part being in one spring held position wholly within the barrel and in the other spring held position extending to a point outside said barrel, whereby the longer part is held approximately parallel to said axis. and in one spring held position lies against the outside of the barrel.

5. In a fountain pen. a piston, including a packing and screw threaded means extending toward one end of the piston for tightening said packing, a handle, and a spring presed pivotal means connecting said handle to said piston at the end thereof opposite said screw threaded means.

6. In a fountain pen. a filling mechanism including a piston and a handle connected thereto. a barrel in which said piston is adapted to slide, a ferrule in one end of said barrel, said ferrule having a slot diametrically of the barrel, and said handle having an enlargement at the end opposite said piston, said enlargement having one dimension larger than the width of said slot, and another smaller than said width.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses:

RUDOLPH C. RETTIG,

Witnesses:

CARLTON HILL, JAMES N. OBRIEN. 

